Head of the Judiciary: We should not have a biased or partisan view of the law

Today’s meeting is the second meeting of the Head of the Judiciary with members of the “Judicial and Legal” Commission of the 12th Assembly.

Speaking at this brainstorming session, Mohseni Ejei stated: “We are facing problems and shortcomings in all three branches; we also have shortcomings and deficiencies in the judicial system; we must all strive to eliminate these shortcomings and deficiencies. Without a doubt, if the judiciary is strengthened, its efficiency will increase, and this will be in the interest of all branches and systems, especially the people.

The head of the judiciary stated: The behavior and actions of our officials and agents should be such that, as we change our positions and responsibilities, we do not forget the conditions, limitations, and excuses of our previous positions; sometimes, a person in the judiciary has a firm opinion on a single issue, and when that person moves from one judicial system to another, his or her opinion on that single issue sometimes changes 180 degrees.

Referring to the importance of social justice, the head of the judiciary said: One of the goals of the Islamic Republic of Iran system is to achieve social justice; since the beginning of the Revolution, we have had achievements in developing social justice; there are countless manifestations and examples of this in various aspects, from improving the situation of villages and villagers to meritocracy and fair distribution of facilities in different places, etc.; but in the current situation, we must establish a mechanism to reduce the class gap. It should not be the case that some people benefit greatly from the facilities of the treasury and some do not.

The Chief Justice of Iran emphasized: People have legitimate expectations in the development of social justice; we must fulfill these expectations of the people; we must not forget that we have not come to rule, but the goal of our system is to achieve divine and Islamic goals and serve the people honestly and sincerely; we have come to be servants of the people.

The Chief Justice stated: Despite all the efforts we have made to create a transformation in the judicial system in this and the previous period, I must honestly say that a real transformation has not occurred in the judicial system; it is true that we have written a document of transformation, but this transformation has not been fully realized in practice. The transformation we are aiming for means creating positive and fundamental changes in all legal, judicial and procedural processes, in a way that these developments and changes are tangible for the general public and those who refer to the judiciary.

The head of the judiciary, while explaining the principles governing the penal code, said: The important question that exists is whether by intensifying punishments, including prescribing long-term imprisonment and some other punishments, we will achieve the ultimate goal in Islamic jurisprudence? I have repeatedly emphasized the issue of utilizing the existing legal capacities to develop the implementation of alternative punishments to imprisonment with a focus on community-based and public-interest services, but we have not yet been able to move forward in this regard (even in this parliament).

Referring to the issue of environmental protection, the Chief Justice continued: "We have several laws regarding environmental protection, but one of the shortcomings in our country is that we have not been able to define and formulate a clear relationship between the two categories of "infrastructure development" and "environmental protection."

Referring to the discussions that are sometimes raised in political and media circles regarding some existing laws and how to implement them, the Chief Justice said: "We should not have a tasteful and partisan view of the law; the law is the same for everyone; I firmly believe that everyone must be committed to the law; we in the judiciary are determined to implement and enforce the law without compromise."